Removable roller assembly for web processing apparatus



Oct. 6, 1964 o. v. DUTRO ETAL 3,151,551

REMOVABLE ROLLER ASSEMBLY FOR WEB PROCESSING APPARATUS Filed Oct. 19, 1961 INVENTORS. Orville V. Dufro BY Sherman H. Hewson IQTTOANEYS- United States Patent 3,151,551 REMGVABLE RGLLER ASSEMBLY EUR WEB PRQCESSZNG APPARATUS Orville V. Dutro, 5068 N. Commonwealth, and Sherman H. Hewson, 64!) Knight Way, both of La Canada, Calif. Filed Get. 19, 1961, Ser. No. 146,193 2 Claims. (1. ital-216) This invention relates to apparatus adapted for processing material in web form and, more particularly, to modular apparatus for use in the application of materials or forces to one or both surfaces of an elongated web. The concepts of the invention apply equally to various processes and operations required to be performed on webs formed from a variety of materials including paper, metal foil, plastic sheets and cloth and, therefore, it is not intended that the present invention be restricted to a particular process or specific type of web. For illustrative purposes however, a preferred embodiment of the instant invention is shown and described herein and comprises printing apparatus capable of performing a number of difierent and successive operations on an elongated web of paper or the like.

in printing apparatus, the printing units which form the apparatus receive an elongated web and perform a number of distinct operations thereon. The web passes through each unit over inking and paper conveying rollers which may be positioned where it is difiicult, if not impossible, to clean the exterior surfaces thereon while the rollers remain in operating position on the associated unit. Since it is necessary to keep .the external surfaces of the rollers clean, it is recognized that the rollers must be removed at periodic intervals to clean the same. Removing rollers on many present-day printing units destroys the adjustments made to properly position the rollers to adjacent structure, and therefore, these adjustments must be made each time the rollers are placed in operating positions. Since these adjustments are time-consuming, it is highly desirable that these rollers be removed from and replaced on associated supporting structure without altering the adjustments previously made thereto.

The present invention provides a means on a roller of the aforesaid type which permits the roller to be removed from and replaced on supporting structure without altering the adjustments previously made to properly position the roller in operating relationship with the supporting structure or with adjacent rollers.

It is, therefore, the primary object of the present invention to provide a roller assembly for use with webprocessing apparatus wherein the roller may be released and removed from and replaced on supporting structure without altering basic adjustments made to the assembly to place the same in operating relationship on the structure, whereby subsequent adjustments are obviated after the roller assembly has been replaced and the roller can be removed any number of times from the apparatus and still remain in an operating position each time it is replaced thereon.

Another object of the present invention is a provision of a roller of the character described which is provided with means permitting the same to shift in one longitudinal direction until the roller is out of journalled relationship with the mounting means adjacent one end thereof and without destroying basic adjustments thereto so that the end may clear the mounting means and the roller may be shifted in the opposite longitudinal direction to thereby remove the roller from the unit.

Still another object of the present invention is the provision of improved heating means at the opposite end of the aforesaid roller which permits the latter to swing laterally after the said one end of the roller is moved out of 3,l5i,55l Patented Get. 6, 1964 "ice journalled relationship with the associated mounting means, whereby the one end of the roller is caused to shift laterally of the associated mounting means to thereby clear the same, thus permitting the roller to shift in the opposite longitudinal direction to be removed from the unit.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of collapsible structure at the opposite ended the roller which permits the latter to shift in one longitudinal direction until the one end of the roller clears the associated mounting means, so that the roller is in position to be removed from the bearing means at the opposite end thereof by shifting the roller in the opposite longitudinal direction and away from the last-mentioned bearing means, and the basic adjustments positioning the roller with respect to the mounting means is unaltered.

Yet another object of the present invention is the provision of the collapsible structure of the aforementioned character which provides spacer means between the end of the roller and the bearing means at the opposite end of said roller, whereby the web-engaging surface of the roller is maintained in predetermined spaced relationship to the bearing means until it is desired to remove the roller from the unit for cleaning.

Other objects of the present invention will become apparent as the following specification progresses, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary, side elevational view of the roller assembly which forms the subject of the present invention and illustrating the interconnection thereof with a drive roller secured to the unit;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the roller assembly and illustrating the means for mounting the roller of the assembly on the unit, parts being broken away and in section to illustrate details of construction; and

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary, enlarged, side elevational view of a portion of the roller forming a part of the roller assembly and illustrating the collapsible, relatively shiftable structure adjacent one end of the roller for permitting the latter to shift in opposed, longitudinal directions to remove the roller from the unit, parts being broken away and in section to illustrate details of construction.

The present invention provides a roller assembly which may be utilized with printing apparatus wherein the roller assembly includes an elongated roller rotatably mounted between a pair of spaced supporting sides in bearing means secured to each of said sides. Collapsible, relatively shiftable structure is provided adjacent one end of the roller and engages the proximal bearing means to permit the roller to shift in one longitudinal direction until the opposite end of the roller is moved out of journailed relationship with the corresponding bearing means while at the same time precluding any change in the adjustments made to the roller assembly to position the same in operating relationship on the sides. The bearing means at the one end of the roller is provided with relatively shiftable inner and outer races with the inner race having a spherical external surface and rotatable about an axis substantially normal to the axis of revolution of the roller. The bearing means at the one end of the roller thereby permits the roller to be shifted laterally after the same has shifted in the one longitudinal direction, so that the opposite end of the roller clears the associated bearing means and the roller is then free to move in the opposite longitudinal direction for removal from the bearing means at the one end thereof.

The collapsible structure on the roller includes a pair of cup-shaped members which are interconnected by flange and shoulder means and surround the reduced end portion of the roller adjacent the one end of the latter. Bias means in the form of a coil spring is disposed within .ment 22.

the members in surrounding relationship to the reduced end portion and normally bias the members away from each other. The collapsible structure thereby provides spacer means from the web-engaging portion of the roller. and the proximal bearing means until it is desired to remove the roller from the printing press unit.

Roller assembly 1% includes an elongated shaft portion 12 and a cylindrical web-engaging portion 14 secured to shaft portion 12intermediate the ends of the latter for rotation therewith. Portion 14 is formed from a frictionable material, such as hard rubber, or the like, and is provided with a cylindrical outermost surface 16 which engages the web as the latter passes thereover. Portion 14 is provided with a. pair of opposed end faces 13 and 2% which face the opposite direction in surrounding relationship to shaft portion 12, it being noted that the surface 16 of portion 14 is substantially concentric to shaft portion 12. V

Shaft portion 12 is provided with end segments 22 and 24 at the opposite ends, respectively, to be received in mounting means 26 and 28 for rotation about the longitudinal axis of shaft portion12.

End segment 22 includes a first stretch 30 which is secured to and extends outwardly from shaft portion 12 adjacent end face 18. Stretch 3% is of a diameter which is less than the diameter of the main part of shaft portion'12. A second stretch '32 is integral with first stretch 39 and extends longitudinally thereof away from end face 18. Stretch 32 has a'diameter less than the diameter of stretch 30, as is clear in FIG. 3. v 7 Segment 24 includes a first section34 integral with shaft portion 12 and extending outwardly therefrom adjacentend face 2%. A second section 36is integral with first section 34 and extends outwardly therefrom in a direction away from end fa'ce 29. Sections 34 and 36, like stretches 3t and 32, are of a cylindrical configuration and concentric with the longitudinal axis of shaft portion 12. The diameter of'section 34 is preferably less than the diameter of shaft portion 12 and, as is clear in FIG. 2, the diameter of section 36 is less than the diameter of section 34.

Collapsible,.relatively shiftable structure broadly denoted by the numeral 38 is carried by end segment 22 for rotation therewith. Structure. 33 includes a pair of tubular members 40 and 42, with member 4% being telescoped within member 42. Members 40 and 4-2 are provided with respective end walls 44 and 45 which are provided with openings 48 and 59, respectively, for receiving stretches 32 and 30, respectively; 'Members 49 and 42 are thereby of a cup-like configuration and surround stretches 32 and 30, respectively, in substantial concentric relationship therewith. 7

Stretch 31' is preferably press fitted within opening 50 of wall 46 to cause member 42 to be rotatable with seg- Wall 46 abuts the end face 13 of portion 14 to thereby be in substantial contact with portion 14 at all times.

Opening 48 of member 40 has a diameter slightly greater than the diameter of stretch 32 to thereby permit the latter to shift through opening 43 without interference.

V Member 42 is provided with an annular retaining ring 52 embedded therein in any suitable manner adjacent the open end thereof. Ring 52 extends inwardly toward stretch 3i to'provide shoulder means to be engaged by annular fiange means 54 carried by the open end of member 49 and extending outwardly therefrom. As is clear in FIG. 3, flange means 54 is disposed between 'ring 52 and end wall 46 of member 42 so that members 40 and 42 are substantially interconnected While being shiftable relative to each other. 7

An elongated coil spring 56 is disposed within members 40 and 42in surrounding relationship to stretches 3i) and 32. The ends of spring 56 abut walls 44 and 4d to thereby bias members 49 and 42 away from each other and urge flange means 54 into engagement with ring 52.

Mounting means 25 includes a mounting device 53 having a stem portion es and a recessed end portion 62 integral with stem portion A ball bearing unit 64 is disposed within the recessed end portion 62 and is restricted by an annular shouldered within the recess of portion 62. A frusto-conical inner surface 63 forms the innermost boundary of the recess in portion 62 and surface 63 is in spaced relationship to hearing unit 64, as is clear in FIG. 2.

Bearing unit 64 includes an outer race engageable with shoulder 66 and a spherical inner race 72 spaced from outer race .70 by a number of steel balls 74; Inner race 72 is provided with a central bore 76 for receiving stretch 32 of se ment 22, it being clear that stretch 32 may shift longitudinally of bore 76 while being rotatable with inner race 72; Inner race 72 is provided with a neck portion 78 which extends outwardly from portion62 in surrounding relationship to the axis of revolution of inner race 72. Neck portion 78 abuts the outer surface of wall 44 when stretch 32 is received within bore 76. It is evident that inner race 72 is tiltable around its center in addition to being rotatable relative to outer race 7 0 about its axis of rotation.

Stop means till 'is carried by unit 64 to retain balls 74 between inner and outer races 7 i and 72.

Mounting means 23 is provided with a mounting device 82 which is substantially identical in all respects to device 7 58. A ball bearing unit 84 is received within the recessed end portion of device 82 and is restricted against further inward movement by annular shoulder 86 integral with 7 device -82. Unit 84 includes an outer race 83 and an inner race 99 spaced from outer race 88 by a number of steel balls 92, as is clear in FIG. 2. Inner race 99 is provided with a central bore 94 for receiving section 36 of segment 24 to thereby journal the corresponding end of shaft portion 12.

Roller assembly 10 is adapted to be utilized with a printing press unit having a support in the form of a pair of spaced, normally upright sides 96 and 98 provided with mounting apparatus 113i) and 102, respectively, for mount ing the ends of the stem portions of devices 58 and 82.

. An elongated roller 194 is provided with an elongated shaft 10%; extending through sides 96 and 98 and projecting outwardly therefrom. Roller 104 is normally in contact with the outer surface 16 of roller portion 14 so that the latter may be driven byroller 104 responsive to the rotation of shaft 1% by suitable drive means operably coupled therewith exteriorly of one of the sides 96 or 98. Mounting mechanism 119%) and 102,,forming no part of the present. invention, normally includes eccentric elements 7 operably coupled with elongated levers 198 and 114 respectively, for urging devices 58 and 82 toward and away from shaft 106 to thereby direct portion 14 toward and away from roller 164.

In operation, devices 58 and 82 are normally carried in mounting mechanism 109 and 102 on sides and 98, respectively, so that shaft portion 12 and web-engaging portion 14 are rotatable about a substantially, normally.

horizontal axis. To render shaft portion 12 rotatable, stretch 32 is received within bore 75 and section 36 is received within bore 94. Since neck 78 abuts end wall 44 ing purposes, levers 1&8 and 110 are manipulated to shift roller assembly 10 away'from roller 104 until portion 14 is disengaged from the latter. The operator of assembly 19 then grasps portion 14 or engages end wall 20 to apply a longitudinal force to assembly 19 in the direction of side 96. Since bearing unit 64 is incapable of further inward travel and since member 41 abuts inner race 72, member 42 is shifted relative to member 40 responsive to the movement of shaft portion 12 and web-engaging portion 14 in a direction toward side 96. Thereupon ring 52 moves away from flange means 54 toward bearing unit 64 until section 36 moves out of bore 94. A lateral force is then applied to shaft portion 12 to swing the latter about an axis substantially perpendicular to the axis of revolution of shaft portion 12. This is permissible owing to the fact that inner race 72 is provided with a spherical outer surface to render the same swingable relative to outer race 72 about an axis perpendicular to the axes of revolution of inner and outer races 76 and 72. Thus section 36 is caused to move laterally of bearing means 84 and device 82 until section 36 substantially clears the latter. The lateral movement of shaft portion 12 is performed while structure 38 is in the collapsed condition, namely, while member 42 is shifted so as to compress spring 56.

After shaft portion 12 has been shifted laterally to cause section 36 to clear device 82, release of portion 14 causes the restoring force of spring 56 to move member 42 in the opposite direction and shaft portion 12 may then be shifted in a longitudinal direction away from hearing means 64 for removal of stretch 32 from bore 76.

To insert shaft portion 12 into operating position after the cleaning of surface 16, the reverse manipulations are performed, namely, inserting stretch 32 within bore 76, applying a longitudinal force in the direction of side 96 to force shaft portion 12 toward side 96 until section 36 is capable of moving into alignment with bore 94, and finally permitting shaft portion 96 to move in the opposite longitudinal direction responsive to the restoring force of spring 56 until section 36 is seated within bore 94. It is clear that a minimum of time is required to remove assembly 10 from the associated printing press unit and, likewise, a minimum of time is required to replace the same after the assembly 14) has been cleaned. Further, sufficient clearance is provided in the recessed end portion 62 of device 58 to accommodate the shifting of stretch 32 inwardly so that stretch 32 does not contact the inner surface 68 of device 58 while shaft portion 12 is shifted laterally to permit section 36 to clear device 82.

By virtue of the spherical inner race of unit 64, shaft portion 12 may be shifted laterally in any one of a plurality of directions so that the assembly 10 may be utilized in substantially any part of the printing press unit so long as shaft portion 12 may be capable of shifting laterally in one direction. It is evident that shaft portion 12 may be removed from mounting means 26 and 28 without disassembling or altering the basic positions of the latter. Thus, assembly 10 can be removed from and replaced on mounting means 26 and 28 without adjusting the latter after assembly 10 has been replaced. The present invention, therefore, provides a quick and effective means for removing a roller for cleaning purposes without altering the basic operating adjustments made thereto when the roller was initially installed.

The term, web, is not limited to material of indefinite length withdrawn from a continuous roll, but is intended to cover all shapes having substantial length and width including sheets.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. In web-processing apparatus, a roller assembly comprising a support including a pair of spaced, rigid sides; a roller normally spanning the distance between said sides; a shaft integral with and concentric with the roller; a spherical first socket bearing journalled to a first of said sides, said first socket bearing having a socket and a socket axis, said bearing being tiltable about its center, and adapted to mount a shaft so as to be rotatable around the socket axis; a second socket bearing journaled to the second of said sides, said socket bearing having a socket and a socket axis, there being one position of the first socket wherein said axes are coincident, said second socket axis being adapted to mount a shaft so as to be rotatable around its socket axis; and relatively shiftable biasing means carried by said roller and engageable with said support for permitting said roller to be shifted in one longitudinal direction relative to said support until one of the ends of the roller is moved out of journalled relationship with the second side, the biasing means which receives the opposite end of said roller being disposed to permit said roller to be shifted laterally so that the spherical first socket bearing receives and the second socket bearing gives up their respective shafts until the shaft adjacent to the second side leaves the second socket bearing and clears the second side, whereby said roller may be removed from the support by tilting the roller around the center of the first socket bearing and then shifting it axially away from the first side.

2. In web-processing apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein the spherical first socket bearing is provided with relatively tiltable and rotatable inner and outer races concentric to the axis of revolution of said roller, said inner race being disposed to receive one of said shafts and to swing relative to said outer race about any axis substantially perpendicular to said axis of revolution.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

1. IN WEB-PROCESSING APPARATUS, A ROLLER ASSEMBLY COMPRISING A SUPPORT INCLUDING A PAIR OF SPACED, RIGID SIDES; A ROLLER NORMALLY SPANNING THE DISTANCE BETWEEN SAID SIDES; A SHAFT INTEGRAL WITH AND CONCENTRIC WITH THE ROLLER; A SPHERICAL FIRST SOCKET BEARING JOURNALLED TO A FIRST OF SAID SIDES, SAID FIRST SOCKET BEARING HAVING A SOCKET AND A SOCKET AXIS, SAID BEARING BEING TILTABLE ABOUT ITS CENTER, AND ADAPTED TO MOUNT A SHAFT SO AS TO BE ROTATABLE AROUND THE SOCKET AXIS; A SECOND SOCKET BEARING JOURNALED TO THE SECOND OF SAID SIDES, SAID SOCKET BEARING HAVING A SOCKET AND A SOCKET AXIS, THERE BEING ONE POSITION OF THE FIRST SOCKET WHEREIN SAID AXES ARE COINCIDENT, SAID SECOND SOCKET AXIS BEING ADAPTED TO MOUNT A SHAFT SO AS TO BE ROTATABLE AROUND IT SOCKET AXIS; AND RELATIVELY SHIFTABLE BIASING MEANS CARRIED BY SAID ROLLER AND ENGAGEABLE WITH SAID SUPPORT FOR PERMITTING SAID ROLLER TO BE SHIFTED IN ONE LONGITUDINAL DIRECTION RELATIVE TO SAID SUPPORT UNTIL ONE OF THE ENDS OF THE ROLLER IS MOVED OUT OF JOURNALLED RELATION SHIP WITH THE SECOND SIDE, THE BIASING MEANS WHICH RECEIVES THE OPPOSITE END OF SAID ROLLER BEING DISPOSED TO PERMIT SAID ROLLER TO BE SHIFTED LATERALLY SO THAT THE SPHERICAL FIRST SOCKET BEARING RECEIVES AND THE SECOND SOCKET BEARING GIVES UP THEIR RESPECTIVE SHAFTS UNTIL THE SHAFT ADJACENT TO THE SECOND SIDE LEAVES THE SECOND SOCKET BEARING AND CLEARS THE SECOND SIDE, WHEREBY SAID ROLLER MAY BE REMOVED FROM THE SUPPORT BY TILTING THE ROLLER AROUND THE CENTER OF THE FIRST SOCKET BEARING AND THEN SHIFTING IT AXIALLY AWAY FROM THE FIRST SIDE. 